<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/11/dutch-caribbean-islanders-sue-netherlands-over-climate-change>
"Eight people from the Caribbean island of Bonaire are suing the Netherlands,
accusing it of violating their human rights by not doing enough to protect them
from the climate crisis.
The group, with Greenpeace Netherlands, filed a formal legal challenge against
the Dutch government in The Hague on Thursday, asking the district court to
order it to cut its greenhouse emissions much more quickly and to help its most
vulnerable territories adapt to the impact of the climate crisis.
Located nearly 8,000km (about 5,000 miles) from the capital of the Netherlands,
Bonaire has been a Dutch special municipality since 2010. But the Netherlands
has been present on the island for about 400 years, and in 2022, the government
apologised for enslaving its people.
As a low-lying island, Bonaire is likely to experience serious consequences
from climate change, including extreme weather and sea-level rise.
An October report from the Dutch meteorological institute (KNMI) found that
temperatures in the Caribbean Netherlands had already increased by about 0.2C
every decade since the 1980s. Rainfall is declining, particularly in the dry
season. Experts expect this to worsen if greenhouse gas emissions continue to
rise.
Onnie Emerenciana, a farmer living on Bonaire and one of the plaintiffs, said
it was already becoming increasingly difficult to grow crops because of the
growing heat, wind and unpredictable rain. “It’s becoming very, very, very hard
to plant.”
The KNMI report concludes that climate policy that focuses on reducing
emissions can make a big difference to the future of Dutch Caribbean islands
such as Bonaire.
Research by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, commissioned by Greenpeace, shows
sea-level rise is likely to permanently submerge parts of the island by 2050, a
problem exacerbated by the loss of coral reefs as a natural buffer against the
oceans warming and acidifying.
The studies also concluded that the climate crisis would exacerbate health
problems on the island and could ruin its cultural heritage and tourism
industry. Bonaire is a popular diving destination, and the degradation of coral
reefs could lead to the loss of the majority of dive sites, which it is
estimated will reduce visitor numbers by more than 100,000.
The group of islanders, most of whom still live on Bonaire and are Dutch
citizens, want the Netherlands to tighten its climate goals, so it contributes
its “fair share” to keep global heating below 1.5C above preindustrial levels,
which would involve reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – 10
years earlier than its current target."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
